white dwarf
Coverage of white dwarf in the Nexus archive.
- This planet survived the death of its star—and kept its atmosphere
Astronomers observed an atmosphere around a giant planet orbiting a white dwarf, marking the first time such a phenomenon has been documented. The planet survived its star's death and retained its atmosphere.
- Scientists locate source of mysterious radio signals after 20 year search: A vampire star and its victim
Scientists have identified the source of mysterious radio signals after a 20-year search, discovering a white dwarf star, referred to as a vampire star, siphoning matter from its companion red dwarf. The system, named ASKAP J1745-5051, features a compact white dwarf with magnetic-field lines and a stream of matter from the red dwarf.
- A stellar “Rosetta stone” reveals the source of mysterious cosmic signals
Astronomers used Australia’s ASKAP radio telescope to trace repeating cosmic signals to a rare stellar system where a white dwarf siphons material from a red dwarf companion, emitting radio waves and X-rays every 1.4 hours. The discovery solves a long-standing mystery about the source of these signals.
- Astronomers finally solve the gamma-Cas X-ray mystery after 50 years
Astronomers have resolved a 50-year mystery about the X-rays from the star gamma-Cas, discovering that a hidden white dwarf companion siphons material from it, heating it to extreme temperatures and emitting X-rays. The breakthrough, using data from the XRISM space mission, sheds light on the formation and evolution of such stellar pairs.